Kiwi company Jucy Rentals opens its first hotel in Auckland

Kiwi-owned Jucy Rentals which has become Australasia’s fastest-growing vehicle hire company is opening its first hotel.
From this weekend the auburn-haired 1950s pin-up Jucy Lucy and the bright green and purple that have become synonymous with tourists traversing the country will grace a hotel in Auckland’s Central Business District.
Jucy CEO Tim Alpe says the move into hotels is a natural extension of the brand which already has a faithful following of locals and tourists for its fleet of Jucy vehicles.
“Accommodation and vehicle hire are two highly complementary areas of the tourism business – it makes sense that while we are talking to our customers about what they need to travel around the country, we also talk to them about their accommodation needs.”
Alpe says the hotel business is adopting a pay-as-you-go model so guests will only pay for services that they decide use.
“We don’t want to lumber people with charges for services they’re not using – if they don’t want their room cleaned or serviced while they are staying for a few days, why should they be paying for it. So guests can opt for wireless connections or late checkouts, but they get to make the choice.”
Basic room charges start at $49 a night for a private room with shared bathroom facilities or $89 a night for a private room with an ensuite.
Complementary offers for customers using both Jucy Rentals and the Jucy Hotel include a free night at the hotel for every 14 days of vehicle hire and 15% off either a hotel stay or vehicle hire when a dual booking is made.
Jucy Hotel general manager Andrew de Lautour says the hotel has taken in its first guests and is now accepting bookings for accommodation.
Located in Emily Place in Auckland’s CBD, de Lautour says the hotel offers the best of both worlds with immediate access to everything the city has to offer without the noise.
“Great value and a relaxed, fun environment is what we will be offering Jucy Hotel guests.”
Jucy Rentals bought the building (formerly Aspen House and the Gardiner Hotel) and have undertaken a massive renovation including new carpets, bathroom fittings, new linens and a fresh new paint job inside and out.
“The renovation really captures the Jucy brand – it is a funky, fresh environment that makes use of the purple and green that you see on our cars and other offices. We’ve got messages from Jucy Lucy on the walls.”
“We’re calling it Lucy’s Manifesto, they’re not dramatic messages but they are in keeping with the Jucy way of thinking and with the sort of messages which make sense when you are staying in a hotel somewhere new.”
Messages include “Try everything once, and then again just to be sure” and “Don’t play hard to get, be hard to forget”.
There are 60 bedrooms in the country’s first Jucy Hotel and guests have a choice of a private bedroom with ensuite or a private bedroom with shared bathroom facilities.
Jucy Rentals was established in Auckland in 2001 with two staff and 35 hire cars, it is now a major tourism business with more than 120 staff, a fleet of over 2000 vehicles and offices in Auckland (CBD, Parnell, Auckland Airport), Christchurch, Queenstown, Greymouth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Cairns.